Exit Permit Reform Effective from Tomorrow

The Peninsula -- The end of exit permit for migrant workers covered by the Labor Law will come into force from tomorrow, according to Law No. 13 of 2018 that amended certain provisions of Law No.21 of 2015 regulating the entry, exit and residency of expatriates.

The amended law ensures the right of the expatriate workers that come under the provisions of the Labor Law to leave the country without exit permit while the new law is not applicable on employees of government entities, semi-government organizations and also on domestic help.

After amendments in the said law, the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (ADLSA) had asked all companies and employers to prepare lists of the names of employees who required prior approval of exit permit and to send them electronically to the ministry through a special platform set up by ADLSA, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said on its official Facebook account yesterday.

The officials of ADLSA had announced earlier that companies could start uploading the lists of such employees on the ADLSA website, which, according to the ministry, would be forwarded to the relevant ministry - MoI.

Expressing joy over the recent post of MoI on its Facebook page, many social media users termed the move great, but at the same time, they wondered whether their names would be included in the list of 95 percent workers who could travel outside country without prior exit permit or not.

The officials of ADLSA had earlier affirmed that an employer enjoyed the complete right of determining five percent of their employees who would need exit permit, and the employer did not need any consent or approval by the employees while making lists of those five percent employees who would require exit permit for leaving the country.

To raise awareness, MoI, in collaboration with Qatar Chamber, also conducted a series of awareness workshops.

The procedure for obtaining a copy of the job contract is easy and is available both in Arabic and English.

The ministry posted the link for the same on its Twitter account recently. The employees can access their contract at http://empcont.adlsa.gov.qa/ in both Arabic and English, and they can switch between Arabic and English using the button on top of the webpage.

The employee seeking a copy of his/her job contact is required to access the link, enter the personal number or visa number of the applicant, then enter a cell phone that must be under the name of the applicant. A confirmation number will be sent to the cell phone number of the transaction holder. The user should then enter the code received on the cell phone in order to see the contract or download it.